TAMPA - Two of Florida's top defensive backs were suspended for the start of the game.
Cornerback Keiwan Ratliff and safety Guss Scott sat on the sideline until late in the first quarter as punishment for missing the team's 11 p.m. Monday curfew.
"We went to an all-you-can-eat chicken wings place," Ratliff said. "And one thing led to another; we were in there partying and having a good time with some of the fans and just got back a little late."
Ratliff said the precedent was set when former quarterback Rex Grossman was suspended for the first half of the 2002 Orange Bowl after missing curfew by five minutes.
"We were trying to be dangerous and leave (the restaurant) five minutes before curfew," Ratliff said. "It just took a little while to get back (to the hotel)."
With Gators backups Reynaldo Hill and Cory Bailey in for Iowa's second drive, quarterback Nathan Candler connected with receiver Maurice Brown on a 3-yard touchdown with 3:56 left in the first quarter.
Hill, who started in place of Ratliff, was replaced by Dee Webb early in the drive. He was back in the game but late in coverage on the touchdown. Brown reached the end zone ahead of him, and the point-after tied the score at 7. After a Florida punt, Ratliff and Scott returned to the lineup with 22 seconds left in the quarter and finished the game.
UNHAPPY HOMECOMING: Andre Caldwell's first game in Tampa since starring for Jefferson High School did not go according to his plan. The freshman, a prized recruit at receiver for the Gators, did not catch a pass and struggled returning kickoffs.
"I was in my hometown and tried to do a little too much," Caldwell said. "I think I tried to make some plays when they weren't there, and things didn't go right for me."
His four returns totaled 38 yards for an average of 9.5. Coach Ron Zook said that if Caldwell is to become a good return man, he can't rely on pure talent anymore.
"(Caldwell's) got to learn that he can't just turn it on and turn it off on this level," Zook said. "Sometimes he does that in practice as well. But once he learns that he needs to go full speed at all times, he's going to be a great returner."
ET CETERA: Chris Leak's 70-yard touchdown to Kelvin Kight with 7:18 remaining in the first quarter was the longest pass in Outback Bowl history. ... When Iowa's Matt Melloy blocked an Eric Wilbur punt and recovered it for a touchdown early in the second quarter, he helped make Hawkeyes history. It was Iowa's fifth block of the season, a school record. ... Several former Florida players attended the game, including Grossman and safety Todd Johnson. Both were on last season's 8-5 team that lost in the Outback Bowl to Michigan.
